Snowbird - A Nonlinear Monochrome Collection
by Airgetnyan
Summary: A series of monochrome drabbles, written as I please,because I am awful at conistency.
1. Chapter 1

The office of the Vale branch of Schnee Industries was, to say the least, an efficient workspace. Weiss had a great deal of admiration for this efficiency, as well as the peace and quiet that came with it. It was a truly rare moment where she could say that it was even slightly unpleasant for her. Unfortunately for her, this was one of those moments. She was distracted, her mind losing its ever present structured nature as it wandered to thoughts of a more pleasant place.  
Specifically, her bed, in her and Blake's shared apartment. She'd been working overtime for the past week and a half, and while she was far too meticulous about her appearance to let it show to the untrained eye, the weight under her eyes was a constant reminder that she was indeed far too tired for this.

She was a few minutes away from her lunch break when her phone screen lit up, catching her eye. She picked it up, glancing at the notification that had popped up to see she had a message from Blake. It wasn't often Blake messaged her at work, usually only if it was an emergency, or something equally urgent. Fearing the worst, she quickly unlocked the device and opened the message, and was simultaneously relieved and perplexed by the text, which simply read "Look out the window."

Still, Blake had a reason for most things she did, so Weiss walked to the window adjacent to her cubicle, peering out towards the road.

She was only mildly surprised to see Blake, messenger bag slung over her shoulder, ribbon swaying slightly in the breeze, and a small but smug smile on her face. She gave Weiss a wave, then motioned to the nearby bus shelter before heading to it herself. Blake knew Weiss would be on lunch within the next few minutes, and so was content to wait them out reading, pulling her tablet out from her bag and reopening her reading app. Her reasoning for being at Weiss' workplace today was, in her opinion, very simple. Weiss needed a break. Blake had seen the way she'd been coming home, saying next to nothing, eating even less, and sustaining herself on a combination of Schnee willpower and some of the strongest coffee Blake had ever smelt. There was little Blake could do or say to stop her, short of physically removing her from her laptop and carrying her to their bed, _although last night it had very nearly come to that, with Weiss' pride being the only reason she had chosen to, although unhappily, go to bed on her own feet._

With nothing to lose, and Weiss' wellbeing on the line, Blake decided it was time to step in in a more proactive manner. Take the war to the home front, so to speak. She'd decided to skip her Literature class today, justifying it with the fact that she'd completed her assignments, and read ahead in their assigned book, AND bothered getting in her teacher's good books specifically so she could skip a class every now and again. If all else failed, Velvet always took notes, and she wouldn't mind sharing them. Yes, Blake was fully prepped for her little plan, and she allowed a smug smile to play on her lips as she read the latest and greatest, ' _And filthiest_ ', she thought to herself deviously, addition to her favourite franchise, _Ninjas of Love._

Blake heard Weiss coming well before she saw her, the measured clacking of her heels on the concrete ringing clear to Blake's excellent hearing. She turned to look up at Weiss, who was even now showing signs of fatigue, stifling a yawn as Blake had seen her do dozens of times this week. She patted the bench next to her, and Weiss sat down, a puzzled look on her face. Before she could ask her girlfriend anything, Blake began to speak.

"Weiss, for the next hour, you are taking a break. No questions. No comments." Blake put aside her tablet, reaching over and wrapping an arm around her Weiss' already slumping shoulders. pulling her closer. Blake's familiar and comforting touch was the breaking point for Weiss, and before Blake could even try to say anything she'd mentally rehearsed to try to convince Weiss, the exhausted girl was asleep on Blake's shoulder. Giving her sleeping girlfriend a once over, and concluding that this was both far easier and far more adorable than her original plan, she recovered her tablet, intent on spending the hour in a reading vigil.  
"Sweet dreams snowbird." She whispered, using the nickname she chose for Weiss only to herself. While very few things were truly secret between her and Weiss anymore, this was one she was in no hurry to reveal. It added to its appeal. Weiss was her snowbird, with a song to herald in the winter, and a beauty to exemplify all of winter's majesty.

Weiss slept on for close to an hour, Blake eyeing her sleeping figure ever so often to ensure she was still comfortable, giggling when she occasionally had to wipe a bead of drool from Weiss' slightly parted lips. She quickly gave up trying to read her book, instead choosing to take in the rare sight of her girlfriend sleeping in her office-wear. Weiss was at her most vulnerable then, leaning on Blake as she slept her way through her lunch break, and Blake felt a surge of warmth go through her as she relished in the trust Weiss had placed in her to be allowed to be the one to be with her like this. She subconsciously snuggled into Weiss, moving her hand from her shoulders to wrap around her waist.

When Weiss finally awoke, she looked better than Blake had seen her look in the past week. She was nowhere near fully recovered, but she looked ready to stay awake for the rest of her work day without with only one more cup of coffee. Her awakening was heralded by a fluttering of eyelids, revealing eyes that put the clearest cut diamond to shame, tinted with a blue to put the sky to shame. At least, that was how it looked to Blake. Liquid gold met captured sky, and Weiss smiled up at Blake. Blake grinned, leaning down and wiping a finger softly against the side of Weiss' lips, and promptly wiping the drool along Weiss' cheek, snorting with laughter as Weiss' expression shifted from shock to understanding and then to badly hidden embarrassment.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." Blake finally managed to get out, panting after the solid half a minute of laughter she had just experienced. Weiss, who had recovered from her mild embarrassment quickly, had simply rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile as she took in Blake's still grinning face. When Blake's mirth had settled down to its last quiet chuckles, Weiss pulled her in, planting a kiss on Blake's still smiling lips, and smirking at the blush that quickly followed.

"Thanks Blake. I needed that more than I cared to admit," Weiss began, her voice only a touch above a whisper at first, but Blake could hear her just fine, and her voice grew to its usual volume as she continued. "You'll be happy to know that I'll have finished this assignment by the end of the work day, and I'm going to take tomorrow off. You don't have any classes then do you?" Blake shook her head no, and Weiss smiled softly. "Good. I'm all yours then. Now, I have to get back inside, so I'll see you after work. Goodbye Blake, and thank you again." She walked off, a spring in her step that wasn't there before emerging as Blake watched her leave.

Blake couldn't help the dopey smile that alit on her face, and she certainly wasn't going to try. Slinging her bag back across her torso, she rose, her mind wandering and her spirit soaring. This had been an excellent idea.


	2. Chapter 2

At Beacon University, some things had come to be regarded as unchangeable absolutes. Professor Port's lectures would always drag on for what seemed to be more hours than were even in a day, Dr. Oobleck's classes would only go on as long as his supply of coffee lasted, Professor Goodwitch's surprise test were an experience akin to that of being suddenly told you had only one minute left to live, and there was almost always someone playing the baby grand in the Atlas donated teaching wing during the evening. Of all these absolutes, Blake Belladonna found the most comfort in the last one.

Having been a student there for a full year now, she had only recently begun regarding these "absolutes" as such, and having spent most of her time outside of her classes in one of the lecture theatres the Atlas Teaching Complex, she had often found herself an unwilling audience to the impromptu recitals of those who would practice their musical talent, or express their lack of said talent. It was on one of these evenings that the music from the piano actually managed to take ahold of her full attention.

Notes weaved in and around her ears, painting her a musical landscape, and she was bewitched. Her steps took her entranced self to the door of the room that the baby grand called home, and she cracked open the door soundlessly, her years of honing her actions and movements to be as soundless as possible allowing her to enter and close the door with naught but a whisper of air to show for it. The pianist's playing gave no indication that she was noticed, providing a relief she was unaware she had wanted. The music still tugged at her entire being, drawing her in like a marionette being reeled in by its strings. Marionette was the best word to describe how she felt right now, a living puppet. The music was all she cared about, and finding the phantom musician who had captured her essence was like a primal instinct. She looked up towards the other side of the room, gaze led her to the piano on the other side of the room, and inevitably, to the one playing it.

The first word that ran through her mind when she saw the girl was 'snowbird'. Her hair was like threaded snow, long silky strands of white put up in a side ponytail. She was small, her petite frame seeming even tinier on the piano bench. She was going to attempt to greet her, but was stopped as the tiny pianist began to sing. Her voice transfixed Blake, so much so that she couldn't fully understand what she was singing. Her voice was ambrosia for Blake's sense of hearing, something she didn't know she'd needed to hear until she heard it. On an instinctual level, she could feel the sadness in the song this girl sang. It permeated Blake's being, but sadness was not the only thing within the song. There was loneliness, a desolation that ran throughout it like a river's current. There was anger, making itself known in harsh, powerful strokes on the keys, a slight trembling of that divine voice in a wrath unknown to Blake. What struck Blake the most, however, were the hints of hope that seemed to be blossoming as the girl sang, growing stronger and stronger, rushing through Blake, enveloping her being in rays of light that cut through the darkness that she'd lived with, at times even welcomed, for all of her life. The tears came to her eyes unbidden, and she didn't dare to move, for fear of interrupting the spell being woven around her, and on her.

Soon, far too soon for Blake's liking, the song ended, and silence settled over the lecture theatre. Blake gasped and shuddered, a voiceless sob. The girl at the piano whirled, eyes wide and face set in shock and the beginning hints of indignation, before she fully took in the crying girl before her. Blake was on the verge of fully crying, her golden eyes watery, her breaths coming in ragged bursts. The pianist's shock gave way to worry and alarm. She quickly rose, and much to both of their surprise, walked over to Blake and hugged her before either of them were entirely aware of what was going on. She was warm, Blake observed absently, but the sudden comfort she felt in this warmth was enough to send her over the edge, and she broke down crying in the girl's arms. The sobs were soft, but they were numerous. The girl never made an attempt to dislodge her, however. Her hands rubbed Blake's back, and her grip remained firm but comforting.

At some point, Blake reciprocated the unexpected hug, and the pianist smiled softly, for reasons she herself didn't fully understand. She hadn't planned on having an audience for her playing, and certainly hadn't expected to be comforting a crying stranger afterwards, but somehow, she found she didn't mind. This girl needed help, and she was the one who was going to give it. This resolve made her blush slightly, but she cleared her head and refocused. The other girl's crying was slowing down, softening from outright wails to small hiccups, and the pianist took the time to look into her crying companion's eyes. She saw an upheaval of emotions in Blake's liquid gold eyes, but when they looked into Weiss' own icy blue counterparts, there was an overwhelming gratitude, as well as something else she couldn't quite place. Blake's tan skin showed a slight rosy hue, half because of the act of her crying, and half because she just realized she'd been crying into the arms of this girl for what had to have been 15 minutes at least.

Blake slowly disentangled herself from the pianist, and once finished, was about to begin profusely apologizing, but her snowbird had other ideas. As soon as Blake began to open her mouth, the other girl put a delicate finger to her lips, silencing her and intensifying the blush still on her face. She took her gently by the hand, and led her to the piano bench, sitting down and indicating that Blake should do the same. She complied, confused but intrigued. As she sat, the pianist turned to her, smiling softly, and introduced herself. Weiss Schnee. Blake drank in the sound of her voice saying her name, burning it into her memory so there was no chance to forget it. Blake felt it only fair that she returned the favor, and in a voice that was only slightly raspy from crying, she told Weiss her name. Blake Belladonna. Weiss' smile grew larger at that, and she turned cheerfully back to the piano, stretching her arms above her head before settling them on the keys before her.

She began to play anew, and this time, it took the setting sun for both of them to realise it was time to go. Weiss pulled out her phone as they were getting up to go, opening up the new contact screen and giving it to Blake. Blake looked at her in surprise, before an irresistible smile crept onto her face and she entered her contact information, even taking a quick picture of herself to place as the contact image. She took out her own phone, opening the new contact screen for Weiss to do the same. She happily obliged, and the two pocketed their phones, now more precious objects for the addition of such vital information. They walked off through the doors on the two side of the lecture theatre, Blake with her heart racing and her mind soaring, and Weiss with her stomach doing gymnastics and her mind imagining all sorts of potential scenarios, more than a few of which necessitated a shake of her head to banish… at least, in public. She felt her phone buzz, and felt a rush of excitement as she thought of what her first text from Blake would be. It was only a simple thank you, along with an invitation to spend some more time together to get to know each other, but Weiss tapped out a reply at a speed that surprised Blake, who very quickly received a message stating that she was glad to be able to help, and that she would enjoy spending more time together, saying to meet her in that same lecture theatre at a time of her choosing so they could do just that. Blake smiled happily, and started tapping out a reply as she boarded the bus. The messages would flow between them until well after midnight, when both participants simply fell asleep with their phones still in hand, and each other on their minds.


End file.
